Square-Enix
This press conference wasn’t a conference, more than it was a short movie of ten trailers. The trailers just seemed to fly by one after another in a flurry of audiovisual awesomeness. Though I had to watch some of the trailers a second time, there were a few games that stood out for me.
I love the Tomb Raider series, and I cannot wait until Shadows of the Tomb Raider comes out in September. I simply love that I as a player can decide to play Lara as a stealthy assassin, who takes out her opponents with precision; or I can play her as a guns blazing, bombastic juggernaut. Also, the story and world of the returning series are so rich and immersive. It sucked me in from the very beginning of the first game, Tomb Raider, and has continued its hold on me in the second game, Rise of the Tomb Raider. From what I’ve seen so far from this trailer and others, this game will continue to be more of the same awesomeness.
Having Monster Hunter being a part of the Final Fantasy XIV world can never be a bad thing. I first saw the trailer for The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit during the Xbox conference. My hubby will be very happy about Dragon Quest XI. As a young gaming nerd, he has very fond memories of playing this game series. Babylon’s Fall has instantly become a blip on my gaming radar, after seeing this trailer, but I need more information. Octopath Traveler looks very much like a clone of Final Fantasy Tactics, but it’s interesting. The Quiet Man—what the deuce is going on in this game? All I know from the trailer is it seems the protagonist can’t hear, and he’s kicking ass. I need more.
On the whole, I actually liked their format. There was no vague talk or platitudes, just the games. I actually appreciate Square-Enix for a simple and somewhat effective presentation.
Ubisoft
In terms of quality of conference, I think this has been one of the best so far. I loved that the conference opened with a marching band and dancers to announce ‘Just Dance 2019’. That game never disappoints.
Assassin’s Creed has been one of my favorite series since it first appeared in 2007. Through all the ebbs and flows of this series, one premise has always remained solid—good storytelling. Through the game and fight mechanics issues that some entries, the stories have remained strong and compelling. I loved Origins, which is very much a soft reboot / continuation of the series. They finally got the gameplay right, and as a crafting and loot whore, I love that they added a loot system to the game. It seems that with Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, the next entry into this amazing series, Ubisoft have built upon what works, and much like ‘Syndicate’, have given players the choice of playing as either Alexios or Kassandra, the descendants of the legendary King of the Spartans, Leonidas. I can’t wait to play this game, and I will definitely be playing and streaming this on day one of release.
Skull and Bones looked amazing. This game has come along way from being a spinoff of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. I’m really liking the story and premise of the game, and love that you actually get to play like a real pirate, complete with backstabbing, swashbuckling awesomeness. I can’t wait to try it.
Back in the day, I was a fan of games like Excitebike. The ‘Trails’ series seems to be the descendant of games like that. I tried ‘Trials’, but I guess my time of drive and crashing just for the sake of it has passed me by? I do know that there is a community for Trails Rising though, and I hope and pray that they love this game as much as the first game in the series.
Star Fox…the fox, the legend, the myth is coming to Starlink: Battle for Atlas. I didn’t even know that this game existed. It looks interesting. I’m sure those highly anticipating it, will be adding to their excitement. The Division 2—I still feel that this should be an expansion and not a new game. Beyond Good and Evil 2—I want this game so bad. I’ve wanted to play this game since I saw the first trailer last year. Then they go and show that Jade from the first BG&E game has returned. Seriously, just take my money and give me the game, Ubisoft!
PC Gaming Show
There are always so many amazing games during this show/conference that they all seem to fly by in a blur. I did like that Hitman 2 is going to be on PC. That game looks amazing, and I totally want to play it. Rapture Rejects looks different in a comical way for a battle royale style of game. It’s interesting.
Sony
The Sony press conference started off with the best kiss I’ve EVER seen in a video game. Ellie kissing, who I presume is her girlfriend (or a girl who wants to be) looked so real, I almost felt like an awkward voyeur looking in on a very sweet, yet intimate moment. The dichotomy of this kiss to the harsh, violent and gritty reality of the world of The Last of Us Part II just hit me right in the gut. The Last of Us is one of only two survival horror games (the other being Left 4 Dead) that I’ve ever played or wanted to play. It’s the story of the Last of Us series that draws in me. I want to know what’s happened to Ellie and Joel since the events of the first game. They seem to have made some semblance of a life after the events of the first game. How’d that happen? Are the fungus zombies still a huge threat to the world, or now is it other humans who are main baddies? So many questions. Also, look at you TLoU adding crafting on the fly to the game. After watching the trailer, a second time, I really want to play this game now, and I am by no means a survival horror aficionado. Now, if they can just add that type of realism in the romance mechanics for Dragon Age.
Next, Sony showed off Ghost of Tsushima, and I gotta say, I didn’t realize I wanted this game until I saw the trailer. This trailer is beautiful, and the fight mechanics are fluid and smooth. I don’t know if this was pre-rendered or from the in-game engine, but this game looks amazing. I don’t know much about the story of this world yet, but the little I did see makes me want to know more. Definitely, a game that’s on my radar now.
Death Stranding—what the hell? Kojima-san is a very creative and innovative storyteller. I mean he did brilliantly craft the Metal Gear franchise. The problem is the more trailers I see from this game, the more confused I become. What the hell is going on in this game? Why is Norman Reedus’ character carrying around a baby through most of the trailers? Why is he using the baby to see these invisible creatures that seem to have human hands as feet? What are these creatures that have human hand looking footprints? What the deuce is going on in this game? I am just so confused. Also, this game just gives off an eerie, creepy feeling that seeps into my bones, yet I am mesmerized by all the trailers. I still don’t know what the deuce is going on in this game, but the trailers definitely have my attention, and I guess that’s what trailers are supposed to achieve, so they are definitely succeeding. Also, congrats to Lindsay Wagner for joining the voice cast. Good on you.
Destiny 2: Forsaken, I hope you bring back the fun to this game. I played Destiny and some of Destiny 2. The thing is though the major problem I had with Destiny hasn’t been improved upon in Destiny 2. That is once I got to the max level of the game, and I had completed all of the stories of Destiny, I was completely bored with the game. I didn’t want to PVP, and I didn’t want to raid. There was no reason for it. Destiny 2 has felt much the same way so far, so I’m hoping that the Bungie, the developers of the Destiny series can change that feeling with the ‘Forsaken’ expansion.
The trailer for Control looked very interesting, but I really need more information. I’m sure there are many who are salivating over the impending release of the Resident Evil 2 remake. Trover Saves the Universe is a no for me, but I think fans of Rick and Morty may want to give it a try since the creators of that show helped develop this game. Kingdom Hearts III looks great, and it’s finally coming out. Spiderman looks great. I loved the last game from this series, so I’m hoping this one is as good as the last one.
Nintendo
Nintendo’s conference has in recent years been straight to the point sans all the huff and fluff of previous conferences. This year’s conference started off with the game Daemon x Machina, and it looks like a mech heavy game, though I still know nothing about the story of the world in it. Hoping they will release more information about the game before its release in 2019.
There were so many games announced for the Switch, many of which have already been released on other platforms, but it’s good that Nintendo players will get those games as well. Listed below are the following games coming out for the Switch.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Tourna – The Golden Country coming out September 2018
Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee are coming out November 16, 2018
Super Mario Party comes out October 5, 2018, and they have added the ability for two switches to connect together.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is coming out Spring 2019 and looks to be a mix of RTS and RPG
Fortnite is available now for the Switch
Overcooked 2 is a kitchen/cooking sim game that releases on August 7, 2018
Killer Queen Black is an 8-bit side-scrolling just style fighter, that’s coming soon
Hollow Knight is no available for the Switch
Octopath Traveler is an interesting looking Final Fantasy Tactics clone that’s releasing July 13, 2018
Starlink: Battle for Atlas, which was previously announced at the Ubisoft conference is releasing for the Switch on October 16, 2018
Arena of Valor, which is a 5v5 MOBA for the mobile platform, is moving to the Switch Fall 2018
Minecraft is coming to the Switch Jun 21, 2018
Sushi Striker: The Way of the Sushido is available for the Switch now
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: Donkey Kong Adventures will be fighting its way to the Switch June 26, 2018
A Pixark is coming out Fall 2018
Just Dance 2019 is coming October 23, 2018
Dragonball Fighter Z is coming out this year
Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion is coming out this Summer. Apparently, it’s a widely popular series.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is coming out July 13, 2018
Crash Bandicoot: N’Sane Trilogy is coming June 29, 2018, which will make many Crash fans happy.
Ninjala is coming out Spring 2019
Carcassonne is a very interesting RPG/World Building game that’s coming out Holiday 2018
FIFA 18 is out now for the Switch, with FIFA 19 coming out September 28, 2018
Ark: Survival Evolved is coming to the Switch Fall 2018
Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut is coming out Fall 2018
Paladins: Champions of the Realm is out now for the Switch
Fallout Shelter is also out now the Switch now
Dark Souls: Remastered is coming to the Switch Summer 2018
Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy, which looks to be an action fighter is coming out September 7, 2018
Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate is coming out August 28, 2018
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is coming to Switch June 29, 2018
The World Ends with You: Final Remix comes out Fall 2018
Megaman 11 is coming out October 2, 2018, and what old time gamer doesn’t remember
Megaman
Mario Tennis Aces is coming out for the Switch June 22, 2018
The last announcement they made during this conference is the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Switch. This rendition for the Switch includes all of the fighters of the previous game and brings back 8-player battles. Also, all the amibo figures that fans of the game purchased for the Wii and Wii-U versions of this game will be able to use all of them in the Switch version, as well as the return of the use of a Gamecube controller to play the game. I have quite a few friends who will be very happy this Christmas, because Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releases December 7, 2018.
That’s it from E3 this year. I was really disappointed that a new Dragon Age or a new Splinter Cell wasn’t announced, but there are quite a few games that I am and will be greatly anticipating to keep me playing for months to come. Also, I did get a chance to look at the trailer for Cyberpunk 2077, and I must say the game looks very interesting. I have been waiting for this game to come out since it was announced as a release title for the Xbox One. Now that it has gone multi-platform, I will most likely be buying it for the PS4, because I tend to play RPGs on the PlayStation, because of the many freezing issues I’ve had while playing RPGs on Xbox systems.
Well, what do you think? What were the games that interested you? What games are you anticipating? Let me know in comments.
